The Germany Internet and Social Media report says 15% of regular wine drinkers shop for wine on the internet – a large rise over the last three years – but supermarkets still lead the way, with 54% saying they buy wine in that sector. Half of all regular wine drinkers purchase in discounters, reflecting the strength of German companies in that arena and the maturity of the discount market.
The report says digital space is also playing a greater role in how German wine drinkers seek out information about the market – but traditional retailers play a vital role in how this information is sourced. Regular wine drinkers are more likely to turn to websites than social media – and independent wine merchants’ websites are more popular than the pages of producers or websites that promote a country or region. Blogs, Facebook and Twitter ranked lowest of all sources of online information.
Only four of the top 15 sources of wine information overall were from the digital space with friends and family, in-store signage, wine shop staff, TV programmes and supermarket magazines all ranking higher than any single online source.
Germany Internet and Social Media 2015 report (£1,500 or 3 report credits) uses Vinitrac data (the Wine Intelligence online consumer survey platform) based on research carried out among 1,015 consumers in 2014 and 1,001 in 2011, selected to represent the make-up of regular wine drinkers across Germany. Regular wine drinkers are defined as adults who drink wine at least once a month.
